Blake's 7 Actor Paul Darrow Dies At 78 (bbc.co.uk) 107
simpz writes: Actor Paul Darrow, who played the greatest antihero in Blake's 7, Kerr Avon, has passed away. Avon was one of the few (only) computer experts in sci-fi to not be portrayed as a stereotyped geek. He also appeared in Doctor Who.
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But I thought he died in the shootout during the final episode of Blake's 7.
You're not going to tell me that this wasn't a documentary series are you?
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"Have you betrayed US? Have you betrayed ME?"
First they kill all the other regulars, then Avon, totally surrounded, with a "Fuck it" look on his face, straddles Blake's body and raises his weapon. Fade to black, with lots of "PEW PEW PEW PEW" sounds.
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Given that the series had been cancelled once before, with the Liberator being destroyed, only for the BBC controller to watch the 'final' episode as it aired, love it, and then tell the voice over person to announce that Blakes Seven would be returning for a new season (that the cast and crew had no idea about), this time they wanted it unambiguously final.
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Only Blake was unambiguously dead. The federation weapons could have been set to stun.
Re:Very sad. (Score:5, Informative)
Actually, the reason it faded out was the camera broke.. They decided to go with the 'blackout' end..
But yeah, it worked out very memorable that way.. Loved the series when I was a kid, and really wish they'd have it make a comeback..
The Federation (as I remember it) was a very shady "thought crime" kinda place (which fitted in with the fear of "1984" which was prevalent at the time), outwardly seeming to be this utopian society with everyone in. Until you thought different, then you met the guys in black with the black masks..
The SFX of the time were quite funny (especially when you consider that there was just about zero budget for it, some of the space ships actually _were_ two hairdryers glued together and bits of airfix kits attached to make them look more 'ship like').
I'll not be watching it again, as I suspect it'll be horribly dated, and it'll ruin it.. But it really did score well with me back in the day.. A bunch of misfits who shouldn't really be anywhere near each other, who took on the underbelly of an insidious organisation, and kept pulling it together enough to scrape by with some victories, some losses.
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The Federation (as I remember it) was a very shady "thought crime" kinda place (which fitted in with the fear of "1984" which was prevalent at the time), outwardly seeming to be this utopian society with everyone in. Until you thought different, then you met the guys in black with the black masks..
Strangely prophetic looking at now.
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I didn't see it until just a few years ago... and yeah, it looked more like 1960 than 1980, so strongly that my brain remembers it in black-and-white. But once you got used to the set-and-FX budget of about four cents, it was easy enough to suspend disbelief and imagine whatever you wanted onto it -- the story and characters carried it along.
(Yep, I grew up in the B/W era, so B7's primitive production values don't seem all that odd, except by comparison. Today's viewers are both spoiled and robbed of the ch
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There was a novel written that was set after the final episode...and Avon had survived (and started off imprisoned).
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God, I remember watching that on a Sunday night in the late 80s on PBS. After the finale, it was all I and my friends (we all stayed up "late", like 11:30 or so) could talk about on the bus to school that Monday. And it's never been aired where I lived again. Many times, I've been tempted to get a Region 2 DVD player and order the whole series from the UK. Even to this day, that finale haunts me...
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That Wikipedia article is confusing. So this guy played a Dalek, which is some sort of robot fighting against the Federation? So this Blake 7 takes place on the Star Trek universe? Are the Daleks like the Borgs in Star Trek Space Station 9?
Obviously you're not a sci-fi person, or else you would know that it's "Star Track". The Borgs were from Babylon 9. Blake 7 came after Deep Space 5. The Daleks were from that Gary Glitter video.
What is a Blake 7? (Score:1)
Never heard of that movie or game
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British sci-fi programme on BBC in the late 70s. It has a cult following.
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For those asking its kinda like Star Trek (Score:3)
Re:For those asking its kinda like Star Trek (Score:5, Insightful)
So, like most British shows, its heroes are 'normal' people shoved into a situation, and not polished bronze gods and goddesses that can solve any problem at a moments notice? :)
*That* was why Blakes Seven excelled - Blake was a terrible leader, Avon was someone you would have trouble trusting, Villa was a coward that had to be forced into things etc etc.
Re:For those asking its kinda like Star Trek (Score:5, Insightful)
=That* was why Blakes Seven excelled
I'll add this. The invention of the long story arc, that exists in many shows now, was invented in Blakes 7.
This show is truly memorable and shows something that is lacking in all modern shows, resistance against state tyranny. Despite some of the corny scenes, crappy sets and B grade acting Blakes 7 is a masterpiece of story.
For anyone who hasn't watched B7 try to engage your imagination for what you see (effects wise) and look at the story it is telling for you will never see B7 remade and there is nothing like it.
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It's also a durn good example of how if you give the audience an interesting story and solid characters, they really won't care about special effects, or lack thereof. They won't care if the sets are made of cardboard, or whether the fight scenes are one token fake punch. It can look like complete crap, but if the story and characters compel -- it will find and keep its audience. Witness how enduring B7 fandom has been, and judge for yourself.
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*That* was why Blakes Seven excelled - Blake was a terrible leader, Avon was someone you would have trouble trusting, Villa was a coward that had to be forced into things etc etc.
And Servalan was hot.
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Jacqueline Pearce also passed away in September 2018.
I saw her live at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe a number of years back, doing an autobiographical show. She was enthralling and quite funny. It's a shame she never had a bigger career.
RIP Paul and Jacqueline.
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I only saw the first season. But it doesn't hold up over time. The production values are really bad (making U.F.O. seem advanced and spiffy). The pacing of the show is slow and lumbering, especially at the start; the writing was good but it needed better editing to get rid of the bits where literally nothing is happning. But in the early 80s it was great because you only had 3 or 4 television stations and if you saw this it was likely more interesting than whatever else was on.
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I grabbed UFO at the same time (spooky) and its a lot worse. For Blakes7 the first season was slow and painful, use the skip 30sec button for those poor plot segments. Nothing special about the second. The third season moved along pretty well, the crew thought it was the finale I think, and Blake wasn't in it at all. Haven't started the forth and hope it kept some of third seaso
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As you say, it isn't really like Star Trek at all. However there are obvious similarities with Firefly.
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The first episode had a distinct resemblance to Logan's Run in many ways.
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Too bad Google doesn't exist.
It is also too bad that Wikipedia doesn't exist and OP didn't include a direct link to the article describing it.
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Also its all on YouTube. If you can see past the limited effects (looks like Doctor Who from that era) and like good SciFi its definitely worth checking out. Created by the creator of the Daleks, Terry Nation.
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Naw, Doctor Who looked tons better. It had a better budget. But then Doctor Who was set on Earth in the UK most of the time so it was a lot easier to make something that looked better.
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Great, Great BBC TV Scifi. (Score:3)
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ORAC was a bit like KITT on space ship.
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Posted AC. Not willing to stand behind one's convictions?
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"Paul Darrow is currently burning for all eternity in the fires of hell." Well that's bold claim, not least of which because it presumes you know the mind of the deity you presume exists to make such a decision about Paul's life. This also presumes you know which deity is involved and which interpretations of that deity are correct. It's
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I think a large proportion of people who believe in a deity (or two) are actually having conversations with their unconscious minds. In that regard it might have an some effect.
I'm also reminded of that comment that although believers think they are over-seen by an omni-potent deity and believe they will end up in a better place when they die, they still look both ways before crossing the road
Re:Think about eternity (Score:4, Informative)
I know the truth won't be popular, but it needs to be said. Paul Darrow is currently burning for all eternity in the fires of hell.
I've read Revelation over and over, it's my favourite book of the Bible. If you read it you will find there are no fires of hell. When the bible refers to the lake of fire it is the place where the Devil, Hades and anyone not written in the book of life are cast. It's also the place from which some people are re-born.
You're attempting to use exegesis as a means to attempt to control peoples minds. In other words you are being a "False Prophet" who also ends up in the lake of fire.
Stop now, you don't even understand what sin is, yet here you are judging someone who has never harmed you and has bought joy to many people.
Who are you to judge *anybody*?
Now fuck off and let us grieve someone we admired.
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I've read Revelation over and over, it's my favourite book of the Bible. If you read it you will find there are no fires of hell. When the bible refers to the lake of fire it is the place where the Devil, Hades and anyone not written in the book of life are cast. It's also the place from which some people are re-born.
I'm not supporting the guy you are responding to at all, but ... there are multiple metaphors used to describe Hell. Including fire that is not quenched. (and outer darkness ... and worm that does not die ... it's petty clear you don't want to be there)
Not to mention, "and anyone not written in the book of life" is literally anybody who is destined for Hell. So, huh?
"from which some people are re-born"?? Going to have to show your work on that one.
Again, not supporting whoever you are responding to - di
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I'm not supporting the guy you are responding to at all, but ... there are multiple metaphors used to describe Hell. Including fire that is not quenched. (and outer darkness ... and worm that does not die ... it's petty clear you don't want to be there)
Not to mention, "and anyone not written in the book of life" is literally anybody who is destined for Hell. So, huh?
Ask yourself What is Hell? and consider why there is ample evidence of satan. Ask yourself why a God that wants you to be free to choose doesn't want you to know that he exists.
"from which some people are re-born"?? Going to have to show your work on that one.
Once you figure out what hell is (and you already do know) you'll be more than motivated to do your own work. The Bible is an incredibly dense metaphorical work that speaks to archetypal humanity, there is nothing literal about it. It's not meant to be simple. It's a book about humanity designed to impose enough cognitive load o
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Ann Widdecombe posts on slashdot?
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So it's Hell with Paul Darrow, John Lennon and Richard Feynman, or Heaven with Mr Anonymous Coward Christian.
Difficult decision.
Never was expendable (Score:2)
"I'm not expendable, I'm not stupid and I'm not going."
Well, he's finally gone and the world is the poorer for it. RIP Paul Darrow.
RIP Paul Darrow (Score:3)
"I'm not expendable, I'm not stupid and I'm not going."
Well, he's finally gone and the world is the poorer for it. RIP Paul Darrow.
True that!
If you're a computer geek or nerd there is a lot to learn from Darrow's portrayal of Kerr Avon a ruthless and highly intelligent systems programmer offers a type of geek archetype that is only just emerging: Beneath that cold exterior beats a heart of pure stone. The talent is that he did it at the dawn of the computer age.
Thank you Mr Darrow for your work. You gave me an alternative mode of being a technologist that was difficult for people to take advantage of.
Kerr Avon: "I have never
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Yep, he was one of my "role models" growing up. :)
Quite possibly how I ended up as a "scientific skeptic".
He was a wonderful man (Score:1)
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I never got to meet the man.. But he'll always be remembered here.. And good to know that extra bit straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak.
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I met both Paul Darrow and Gareth Thomas at Who's 7 in the mid 90s. Where Gareth was kind of difficult to have a conversation with, Paul and his wife Janet were friendly to all visitors and helpful where they could. I will miss him.
I'll admit to being somewhat jealous. Darrow sounds like the kind of fellow you could have a pint with, though he'd probably like wine better.
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Bordeaux in particular,m apparently.
But I bet he'd still have a pint. Of something decently brown and not fizzy.
Best anti-hero ever (Score:1)
As ORAC would say (Score:2)
"Con-firmed"
,
Does this mean there'll be no Strangerers reboot? (Score:1)
I loved it as a kid, but..... (Score:2)
Re:Who is Blake's 7? (Score:4, Funny)
Most serious SciFi fans... (Score:1)
do not think that all SciFi consists of Star Wars sequels, Star Trek sequels and spinoffs, and comic book and zombie films.
There was good SciFi both in the US and outside the US before the 1990s. Every bit is not to the taste of everybody, but if you can overlook poorer effects then you ought to dig into the old stuff both for different stories and also sometimes for different plots and good characters.
Try some of these from the slightly more distant past:
Dr Who (from the UK) which goes back to the time of
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Blake was the main character in Blake's 7 tv show. Though over time he became one of the more minor characters because the others had more personality.
It was a show from the UK in the late 70s. But of course, the web already told you that.
I thought the computer systems were rather funny since they were basically just props of odd items; ie, to override the system they might poke at it with a long rod.
It's on Youtube, but it is kind of hard to follow as it's rather dull in much of the first season. It did
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Blake also became a minor character because he was missing from the later seasons... Yeah, literally, the title character went AWOL after season 2.
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Obviously. Because that would make 8.
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Obviously. Because that would make 8.
Then it would be B8 and people would confuse it with a fishing show.
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Blake was the main character in Blake's 7 tv show. Though over time he became one of the more minor characters because the others had more personality.
Actually Gareth Thomas [wikipedia.org], who played Roj Blake, insisted that the character be written out after the second series [theguardian.com]. He was a serious stage actor with the Royal Shakespeare Company before Blake's 7 and he wanted to return to the theatre. IIRC he felt that appearing in a "space opera" wasn't doing his credibility as a serious dramatic actor any favors.
Ironically it's probably what most people (outside theatre circles) remember him for now.
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But even in season 1 where he's in every episode, he's sort of the bland character once the other prisoners show up. He ends up the leader more by default (they distrust him the least) rather than by him being the face of the resistance.
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Re:Who is Blake's 7? (Score:4, Interesting)
Sort of Robin Hood in space. The Sheriff of Nottingham was a nymphomaniac who dressed in S&M gear.